NEW DELHI: Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi on Monday took over as the new Vice Chief of Army Staff. After assuming the appointment of Vice Chief of Army Staff, the General laid a wreath at the National War Memorial in Delhi. Lt Gen Dwivedi is an alumnus of Sainik School, Rewa (MP) and was commissioned into the 18 JAK RIF on December 15, 1984, which he later commanded in the Kashmir valley and the deserts of Rajasthan. He has had the unique distinction of having balanced exposure of both Northern and Western theatre. He has also held the important appointments of Inspector General Assam Rifles (North) and Sector Commander Assam Rifles in intense counter terrorist operations and held various other staff and command appointments in the North East. After commanding the Rising Star Corps, the General was given the command of the most prestigious Northern Army from 2022-2024 in an extremely challenging operational environment. During his command, he provided guidance and operational oversight for the planning and execution of sustained operations along the northern borders with China and the Western Front with Pakistan, besides orchestrating the dynamic counterterrorism operations in Jammu and Kashmir. He was also involved in the modernization and equipping of the largest Army Command of the Indian Army, where he steered the induction of indigenous equipment as part of Atmanirbhar Bharat. He has also worked towards creating sysnergy with the people of Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh for convergent nation-building outcomes and infrastructure development. The General officer, during his illustrious career spanning across 39 years, has held various staff appointments in the headquarters of the Armoured Brigade, Mountain Division, Strike Corps and Integrated HQ (Army). As an instructor at the Indian Military Academy and the Army War College (Higher Command), he shaped the future generations of tri-services and Friendly Foreign Countries. The appointment of DG Infantry empowered him to steer and fast-track capital procurement cases of weapons for all three services, leading to significant and visible capability enhancement for our Armed Forces. As Dy Chief (IS&C), the officer gave impetus towards automation and the absorption of niche tech in the Indian Army. Being a tech enthusiast, he worked towards enhancing the tech threshold of all ranks in Northern Command and pushed for Critical and Emerging Techs like Big Data Analytics, AI, Quantum and blockchain-based solutions. The Genral officer’s two overseas tenures include Somalia, as pw1art of HQ United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM) II and Seychelles, as Military Advisor to the Government of Seychelles. Besides attending Staff College, Wellington and the Higher Command Course at Army War College (AWC), Mhow, the officer was conferred ‘Distinguished Fellow’ in the coveted NDC equivalent course at USAWC, Carlisle, USA. Complementing his illustrious military career, are an M Phil in Defence & Management Studies, in addition to two Master’s degrees in Strategic Studies and Military Science, including one from USAWC, USA. The officer has also authored / presented articles in various professional forums / Journals. He has pioneered the first ever compendium on Indo Myanmar Border Management. The General officer is a skilled Yoga practitioner. He is married to Sunita Dwivedi, a science graduate, who is a homemaker. Sunita Dwivedi has been associated with Aarushi, an institute for special-ability children at Bhopal. The couple is blessed with two daughters.
